Medallion applying machine

ABSTRACT

A device for applying medallions to articles by selectively feeding medallions to a gripping mechanism which holds the medallion against the surface of a rotating wheel and carries the medallion through an adhesive applying station and into an applying station wherein the medallion is applied to the surface of the article.

United States Patent Alie MEDALLION APPLYING MACHINE Gerald Alie, Laval des Rapides, Quebec, Canada Assignee: R. H. McConnell & Co. Ltd., Rose de Laval, Quebec, Canada Filed: Sept. 8, 1970 Appl. N0.: 70,380

Inventor:

U.S. Cl. ..156/363, 198/167, 198/179 Int. Cl. ..B65c 9/40, B65g 15/00 Field of Search ..156/556, 350, 362-363, 156/552, 476, 302, 297; 198/210, 179, 167; 271/82, 81

[ 1 Jan. 2, 1973 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,939,572 6/1960 Wurgaft ..198/2l0 3,087,596 4/1963 Fulton ..198/2l0 X Primary Examiner-Edward A. Si'oka d AttorneyAlan Swabey [57] ABSTRACT A device for applying medallions to articles by selectively feeding medallions to a gripping mechanism which holds the medallion against the surface of a rotating wheel and carries the medallion through an adhesive applying station and into an applying station wherein the medallion is applied to the surface of the article.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJMI 2 I975 SHEET 1 0F 3 INVENTOR- Gerald ALIE PATENTEDJAN 2 I973 3, 708,371

sum 2 or 3 INVENTOR Gerald ALIE ATTORNEY PATENTEUJM 21ers SHEET 3 [IF 3 INVENTOR Gerald ALIE (dawn MEDALLION APPLYING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for dispensing medallions or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for individually applying medallions to continuously moving articles.

2. Description of Prior Art Many devices have been proposed for applying labels or some form of decorative means to articles. Generally these devices apply labels of relatively flexible material SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is thus the main object of the present invention to provide a device to apply elements that are relatively rigid, are non-uniform in thickness and may be perforated.

Broadly, the present invention relates to a device for selectively removing medallions from a magazine and delivering same to a gripping station wherein a pair of arms are moved to overlie, pull the medallion against a supporting surface and hold same in this position as the supporting surface travels to an applying position. These arms and supporting surfaces are then moved to an application position wherein the medallion is applied to the article to be decorated and the arms released.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Further features, objects and advantages will be evident from the following detailed description of a preferred form of the present invention taken in con junction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a carton with the medallion attached;

FIG. 2 is a side view illustration one form of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is anisometric view of the finger support block;

FIG. 6 is a further detail of the construction of the supporting wheel;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view partially in section showing the profile of the cam;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the dispensing mechanism in an operative position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One of the main purposes of this invention is to provide a machine for applying a medallion 10 to the surface of an article or continuous sheet of material which in the illustrated arrangement has been shown as a box 12. The medallion 10 is adhesively secured in position onto the surface of the box 12 (see FIG. 1

The apparatus in the illustrated embodiment includes a main conveyor generally indicated at 14 for delivering the articles 12, a magazine 16 for storing the medallions 10, a feed conveyor 18 for dispensing medallions from the magazine 16, a gripping station 20 wherein the medallions are gripped for movement through a glue applying station 22, and to an application station 24 where the medallions are applied to the articles 12.

The main conveyor 14 is provided with lugs or the like 28 mounted on a travelling chain 30. Each of these lugs engage one of the articles 12 and move same through the applying station '24. A microswitch 32 is positioned in the path of travel of the articles 12 and senses the presence of such articles and controls the operation of the dispensing mechanism as will be described hereinbelow.

The magazine 16 may be of any suitable form. In the arrangement shown, it has a front wall 34 and a rear wall 36. A suitable structure 38 at the bottom of the magazine 16 holds the bottom medallion 10 in position to be engaged by abutment to be described hereinbelow on the dispensing device 18 when the dispensing device 18 is in operative position and yet permit the dispensing device to move to an inoperative position.

The dispensing device 18 comprises a belt 40 which is provided with lugs 42 on its inner surface and with spaced abutments 44 on its outer surface. This belt 40 is trained around a front sprocket 46 and a rear sprocket 48 and functions to drive the front sprocket 46 which forms part ofthe gripping station 20.

The belt 40 also rides on an idling sprocket 50 which is mounted on an arm 52 pivoted to the frame 54 of the machine by a pivot pin 56. The opposite end of this lever 52 is pivotally connected to the armature 58 of a solenoid 60 which is controlled by the microswitch 32 in a manner to be described hereinbelow. A suitable adjustable stop 62 governs the lowest position of the idle sprocket 50 and thus of the belt 40 as it traverses the magazine 16.

The gripping and transfer station 20 is formed by the front sprocket 46 which in turn is formed by a pair of spaced discs 64 and 66 secured together by suitable bolts 68 and spaced by a peripheral spacer 70 which is grooved to receive the lugs 42 on the belt 40.

In the illustrated arrangement, the wheel 46 is provided with two diagonally opposed gripping mechanisms generally indicated at 72 which are held in position by means of suitable plates 101 bolted to the discs 64 and 66 (see FIG. 4). These gripping mechanisms will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

As indicated, the discs 64 and 66 which form the wheel 46 are rotatably mounted on a central axis 74 by means of bearings 76 while a central cam 78 is fixed to the shaft 74.

Slidably received on the wheel 46 in each of the gripping mechanisms is a body member 80 which supports gripping fingers 82 and 84 via pivot pins 86 and 88 extending through mounting blocks 90 and 92 to which the fingers 82 and 84 respectively are connected. The pins 86 and 88 are mounted in suitable mounting holes 94 in the body 80 (see FIG. 5).

A suitable follower 96 is rotatably mounted on a rod 98 extending substantially transversely to the bearing pins 86 and 88. This cam follower 96 contacts the peripheral surface 100 of the cam 78 and controls the radial sliding movement of the body 80 of each of the gripping mechanisms relative to the wheel 46. This radial movement moves the fingers 82 and 84 radially inwardly into a holding position.

The body member 80 is biased by springs 95 bearing on the outer surface of this body member and received in suitable slots 97 to hold the cam follower 96 in contact with the peripheral cam surface 100 on the cam 78 and thereby tend to maintain the body member 18 in its radial inward position.

The mounting blocks 90 and 92 as above indicated are pivoted on the body 80 on the pins 86 and 88 and are biased to move the fingers outwardly of the wheel 46 by springs 102 and 104 which rotates the inner ends of the mounting members 90 and 92 toward each other. Cam followers 106 are rotatably mounted on the inner end of each of the mounting members 90 and 92 on a shaft 108. These cam followers 106 engage the opposite peripheral surfaces 110 of the cam 178 and control the pivoting movement of the fingers 80 to and from a clamping position overlying the medallion l and a release position laterally spaced from the medallion.

Each of the gripping mechanisms are essentially the same.

The cam member 78 as above indicated has an outer peripheral caming surface 100 and a pair of substantially identical lateral caming surfaces indicated at 110. Referring to FIG. 7, it can be seen that the surface 100 has a raised portion 112 and a lower portion i.e. a portion of shorter radius 114 which are interconnected by a pair of rapidly sloping sections 116.

The cams 110 are each formed with a laterally extending portion or wide portion 118 and a narrow portion 120 interconnected by pairs of sloping portions 121. The position of the sloping portions 116 and 121 time the operation of the .gripping fingers 82 to clamping and gripping or holding position.

To maintain the medallions in proper position in the gripping station 20, a hold-down belt 122 mounted on rollers 124, 126 and 128 is provided. This belt 122 may be of elastic material and the position of the rollers 124 and 126 are such that the medallion forces the belt up between these rollers and the tension applied to the belt 122 maintains the medallion in firm contact with the belt 40 to ensure that the clamping fingers 82 and 84 can engage and hold the medallion 10 in position.

As above indicated, the medallion 10 is held by the fingers 82 and 84 and rotates with the wheel46 through a gluing station 22 wherein glue is applied from the bath 130 via suitable rolls 132 and 134 so that when the medallion reaches the application station 24 it is preglued and ready simply to be deposited onto the article 12.

After the medallion has been applied in the application station 24 a holding pressure maintaining the medallion 10 in position on the article 12 is maintained by the belt 40 which is held in position by a pair of idler rollers 136 and 138 (see FIG. 2).

The drive of the machine is synchronized so that the article conveyor 14 and the dispensing conveyor belt 40 together with the wheel 46 and the gluing mechanism all operate in the proper coordinated relationship. As can be seen, the wheel 48 is driven by the chain 150 which through suitable sprockets and chain 152 drives the gluing apparatus. The chain 150 will be driven in synchronized relationship with the chain 30 of the conveyor 14. The wheel 46 is driven via the belt 40 to maintain the synchronization between the wheel 46 and conveyor 14.

Having described the various elements of the preferred form of the invention, the operation of the device will now be described.

The articles 12 are pushed by abutments 28 on the chain conveyor 30 and move past microswitch 32 which actuates the solenoid 60 to move the idler wheel 50 from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 8. This raises the belt 40 so that the abutments 44 thereon engage the bottom medallion 10 in the magazine 16. The abutment 44 thus pushes the bottom medallion 10 out of the magazine 16 and under the belt 122 which holds the medallion against the belt 40 and in position to be gripped by the gripping fingers 82 and 84.

As the wheel 46 rotates, the grippers 82 and 84 together with the body member move relative to the cam 78. In the gripping station, the followers 106 and 108 are moved laterally outwardly along the upper sloped portion 121 onto the widened section 118 of the cam 110 to move the fingers 82 and 84 toward each other and into overlapping relationship with respect to the medallion 10. As the same time, the cam follower 96 rolls down the upper sloping section 16 to permit the body 80 to move radially inward under the influence of the springs and move the fingers 82 and 84 radially inward into a clamping position engaging the medallion 10.

The cams and hold the fingers in the above positions until the wheel 46 has rotated to the application station.

While the medallion is clamped in position against the belt and if desired the peripheral surface of the wheel 46 it passes through the gluing station 22 where adhesive is applied by the roll 34 onto the exposed surface of the medallion 10.

As above indicated, the microswitch 32 operates the solenoid 60, the conveyor 14 and the wheel 46 and are run in synchronism so that the article 12 tripping the switch 32 is in position to receive the medallion 10, as the wheel 46 reaches the application position.

As the clamping mechanism approaches the application position 24, the bottom sloping sections 116 and 121 are operative to move the clamping fingers radially outward and laterally of the wheel 46 by the cam follower 96 riding up the bottom sloping section 16 onto the larger diameter area 112 of the cam 100 to force the body 80 and thus the fingers 82 and 84 radially outward and by the cam followers 106 and 108 moving to the narrower section of the cams 110 to permit the springs 102 and 104 to pivot the mounting members 90 and 92 and thus the fingers 82 and 84 about the rods 86 lions connected thereto may then be utilized as desired.

Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for holding and transferring articles comprising a body member, a gripping mechanism having a pair of gripping fingers, mounting means mounting each of said fingers on said body member, a supporting surface for the object to be held, a first means for moving said gripping fingers towards and away from each other and a second means for moving said gripping fingers toward and away from said surface, said first means comprising a first camming means, a follower on said body member, means biasing said body member to hold said follower against said cam; each of said mounting means comprises a mounting block pivotally mounted on said body member, each of said fingers being connected to its respective mounting block and said second means comprises means biasing each of said blocks to move said fingers away from each other, a cam follower means on each said block and a second camming means cooperating with said cam follower means to move said mounting blocks and thereby said fingers; said body member is radially slidably mounted on a wheel and rotates with said wheel on an axis of rotation and wherein said first and said second camming means are fixed to said axis of rotation whereby said cam follower and said cam follower means move around said first and second camming means.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising means for delivering objects to said gripping mechanism into a position to be engaged and clamped by said fingers.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said delivery means comprises a belt having abutment means thereon for pushing said objects, said belt being trained about the periphery of said wheel.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said delivery means further comprises a magazine through which said belt passes, means for selectively moving said belt relative to said magazine for selectively pushing articles from said magazine.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 further comprising an article conveyor and applying station between said article conveyor and said wheel, said first and second camming means being shaped to permit said fingers to release said objects in said applying station.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 further comprising a sensing station, sensing an article in position on said article conveyor, said sensing means actuating said means for selectively moving.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 further comprising adhesive applying means positioned adjacent the periphery of said wheel and adapted to apply adhesive to said object when clamped to said wheel by said clamping fingers. 

1. A device for holding and transferring articles comprising a body member, a gripping mechanism having a pair of gripping fingers, mounting means mounting each of said fingers on said body member, a supporting surface for the object to be held, a first means for moving said gripping fingers towards and away from each other and a second means for moving said gripping fingers toward and away from said surface, said first means comprising a first camming means, a follower on said body member, means biasing said body member to hold said follower against said cam; each of said mounting means comprises a mounting block pivotally mounted on said body member, each of said fingers being connected to its respective mounting block and said second means comprises means biasing each of said blocks to move said fingers away from each other, a cam follower means on each said block and a second camming means cooperating with said cam follower means to move said mounting blocks and thereby said fingers; said body member is radially slidably mounted on a wheel and rotates with said wheel on an axis of rotation and wherein said first and said second camming means are fixed to said axis of rotation whereby said cam follower and said cam follower means move around said first and second camming means.
 2. The device as defined in claim 1 further comprising means for delivering objects to said gripping mechanism into a position to be engaged and clamped by said fingers.
 3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said delivery means comprises a belt having abutment means thereon for pushing said objects, said belt being trained about the periphery of said wheel.
 4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said delivery means further comprises a magazine through which said belt passes, means for selectively moving said belt relative to said magazine for selectively pushing articles from said magazine.
 5. A device as defined in claim 4 further comprising an article conveyor and applying station between said article conveyor and said wheel, said first and second camming means being shaped to permit said fingers to release said objects in said applying station.
 6. A device as defined in claim 5 further comprising a sensing station, sensing an article in position on said article conveyor, Said sensing means actuating said means for selectively moving.
 7. A device as defined in claim 6 further comprising adhesive applying means positioned adjacent the periphery of said wheel and adapted to apply adhesive to said object when clamped to said wheel by said clamping fingers. 